We are campaigning to ban the practice of giving live animals as prizes in fun fairs, carnivals, summer fetes etc. A simple direct goal that is well overdue.

Each year thousands of goldfish are given away as prizes in the UK. No consideration to the animals welfare is given and countless animals die from stress, injury or disease before even reaching the hands of a winning customer.

What is the problem?

It's cruel and unacceptable. What example are we setting for younger generations, of which make up the majority attending fairs etc. This practice is devaluing an animal’s life to the point where we can simply give it away for knocking a coconut off a stand or hooking a rubber duck. Animals of all size, shape and appearance have so much to offer us and deserve more respect than this.

Animals as prizes are not just confined to fish. Many States across America give live animals such as parakeets and even iguanas as prizes. Across Europe, a range of animals of all sizes, from mice to ponies, find themselves as trophies of a day out. This is not a single species issue, but all these issues have a single solution, ban live animals as prizes.

What can you do?

Some councils have already banned the use of live animals as prizes, but there are still many areas across the UK that have not implemented a ban. Without standardised bans and enforcement across the country, this practice can simply move to areas that have no restricting legislation.

This campaign can make a difference by uniting a common concern from the general public and animal welfare charities. Applying pressure to your local councils is essential to encourage change on a legislative level. Let your voice be heard on this matter. Contact your local council in support of a ban on animals as prizes. You can show your support in many ways - posting this campaign on social media and tagging your local council will be an effective and public way to voice your opinion. Please contact your councils demanding a ban.

Social media requests

Most importantly tag and contact your local councils.

Post your pictures of fish from fairs and show people how common this issue really is.

Use the #UnfairFunfair hashtag to show your support.

The Goldfish

The goldfish is an underrated animal. Often sold as a first pet, thought to have a three-second memory, and commonly sold around the world as live food for the more “attractive” species.

In fact, the goldfish is a complex animal capable of long-term memory, who has the ability to learn and feel stress and pain. It also has an average lifetime that spans decades, however sadly they rarely reach this. Fish, in general, require high-quality filtration, a diverse diet, environmental enrichment and in the case of goldfish a lot of space. To buy or win a goldfish with the intention of it being a child’s first pet is unfair when looking at the animals basic needs.

These animals are beautifully complex and individually unique.

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